WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Thomas Winkowski today participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Global Entry enrollment center and gallery at CBP Headquarters to mark the fifth anniversary of Global Entry. Beginning June 10, applicants will be able to complete their Global Entry interview at the new Washington, D.C. enrollment center.

“We take seriously our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of passengers coming to and traveling throughout the United States, while at the same time, helping facilitate lawful travel, trade and tourism,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Global Entry is a key part of this administration’s efforts to promote travel and tourism, and to make the travel experience more efficient and more secure.”

“I commend the commitment and efforts of CBP and our government and industry partners who have made Global Entry the success that it is today,” said Acting Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski. “This summer, thousands of international air travelers will be afforded a quick entry into the United States through the speed and convenience of using their Global Entry benefits.”

With nearly 50,000 new applicants each month, an enrollment center in the nation’s capital will allow the thousands of travelers living in and transiting through the area to complete their Global Entry interview and finalize their membership. In addition to the new enrollment center opening in Washington, D.C., centers are opening today in Tampa, Fla. and Albuquerque, N.M.

Upon arrival in the United States from abroad, Global Entry members are able to bypass the traditional CBP inspection lines and use an automated kiosk. Travelers scan their passport and fingerprints, answer the customs declaration questions using the kiosk’s touch screen and proceed with a receipt to the exit— the whole process taking only about a minute.

Launched on June 6, 2008 as a pilot at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and John F. Kennedy Airport, Global Entry is now a permanent program and has 44 locations at airports, serving 98 percent of incoming travelers to the United States. The additional locations improve CBP’s ability to facilitate travelers’ enrollment into Global Entry as efficiently as possible.

In addition to being an enrollment center, the exterior gallery provides both a waiting area for the enrollment center and an educational experience for the general public. The CBP Gallery will highlight aspects of CBP’s mission and help the public understand how border security, trade and travel are interrelated.